CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2011 Honda Accord has a solid reputation (so far), with one very significant flaw: uncomfortable seats.
Owners have consistently reported uncomfortable seats with the entire 8th generation (2008-2012) of Honda Accords. Complaints range from back pain to leg circulation problems due to bad lumbar support, cushioning, & seat angle. Complaints aren't limited to only a certain body type -- the seat comfort problems are from a wide spectrum of owner height & weight.
The common theme we hear is "never noticed this during the test drive." Unfortunately for unwary buyers, the seat pain is noticeable after 15-20 minutes.
8.9
pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$140
Average Mileage:
9,550 miles
Total Complaints:
83 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
not sure (39 reports)
the seats need to be replaced!!!!! (34 reports)
offer replacements for poorly designed headrests (all seats) (4 reports)
Petition To Honda To Replace Defective Driver Seats - This petition is to make Honda aware of this problem so they replace their defective driver seat which is causing honda owners severe pain and injury to their body. This affects Honda owners from the year 2008 up to and including 2012.
I bought 2011 Honda Accord in 2012. I started experiencing an unbearable back pain in my lower body. I could not walk, lift any substance, had leg pain and mumming in legs and lower back muscles etc., and could not even sleep well because of this unbearable back pain throughout the day and night.
I changed my bed, office chair and couch and love seats at home, suspecting one of these must have created the problem. I never realized the Honda car seat is the reason until my wife started driving the car late recent. She was using a Mazda 6 (V6) and had no complaints at all, whatsoever. She used the Honda for a week and then got the back pain, and ended up in the Hospital for a back pain treatment. I still have this Stupid Honda Accord 2011 EXL as I am unable to afford another vehicle right now. I started using a cushion at the back when seated in the stupid car seat. Not much of a relief. I started reading online about this problem and realized so many others are affected the same way me and my wife.
Not sure what to do from now and it seems I am suffering from this for last 8 years.
Bought a 2011 Honda EX in June 2014. The seats in this car are the hardest, most uncomfortable seats I've ever had in a vehicle. I wish we had never traded in our 2006 Monte Carlo. The seats push in on the lower back creating a lot of pain. The passenger side lumbar is not adjustable, which is a really bad design flaw. I cannot ride in the passenger seat for longer than just a few minutes without enduring a good amount of pain. The driver seat is better but it still hurts quite a bit. I have a seat cushion on the driver side but it doesn't help a lot.
I will be trading this car in this year. There is nothing about it that I like. You would think a 2011 Honda mid-grade model would come with satellite radio and backup camera but it does not. Even my 06 Monte Carlo had satellite radio! This car has been so uncomfortable to ride in that I won't even consider buying another Honda. We end up renting a car if we go out of town. Drove a Camry from TN to TX last year and was the most comfortable car ever.
The seats in the 2011 Honda Accord are significantly uncomfortable, and push too much on the lumbar. I have never been in a car that has such uncomfortable seats. Also the seats have air lumbar adjustments which don't help at all, and make it even more obtrusive, which is almost laughable that anyone would need it to push out further. This has caused leg and back pain and causes my accelerator leg to go numb while in rush-hour traffic. Honda should be taking care of this. I would easily join a class-action suit for this.
This is my first Honda after owning two Fords. It has performed like I expected (reliable, generally fun to drive). The seat has turned into a major problem. The more I drive it, the more my back hurts. I have reached a point where I wake up in the middle of the night and it starts hurting as soon as I sit in the car. This problem alone makes me not want to get another Honda ever. The fact that Honda also seems to ignore consumer complaints is also a major turnoff from the brand as a whole.
Honda really needs to recall these seats, as I see I'm certainly not the only one with the problem. I try not to be a complainer but I really can't drive more than five miles in this car without being in pain, which seems to escalate as the trip mileage increases. I remember I drove on a 600 mile trip once, and I couldn't leave my hotel for a day afterwards due to severe back pain.
HONDA THIS CAR IS GREAT, MINUS THE SEATS, PLEASE FIX THEM!!!!!
- Clinton D.,
Lexington, KY, US
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When I first bought the Accord I enjoyed the wide comfortable seats. I drive a lot for my job so I need a comfortable car. I started to notice low back pain and leg cramps. Also my tail bone started hurting. Now its all the time and I hate my car for the seat reasons alone. My wife also states her seat is causing her pain as well. What to do? Honda Accords do not hold a good resale value as I was lead to believe so selling it isn't so easy. I find myself renting cars for trips 75 miles or more from home as I can't stand the pain. Honda needs to issue a recall and replace the seats! I personally had a friend that worked for a seat supplier for Honda and they were making seats in Mexico. He stated that they were having major issues with the seats... A class action law suit is in order if Honda does not take action soon. Because of this, I will not be so inclined to purchase another Honda product in the future. This seat disaster has changed my quality of life and now I have constant pain from this!
I have owned several Hondas/Acura and my entire family owns Hondas. These are by far the worse seats ever made and have given me back/leg pains that still linger after 2-3 weeks of not driving the vehicle.
My family owns the following Hondas/Acuras and I will be informing all my families and relatives to stay away from Honda and join the Toyota family. I have a 2014 Tundra with the most comfortable seat that molds into my body and gives me joy every time I drive it. If it wasn't such a gas guzzler, I'd sell this car at a loss and continue driving the truck.
The newer models of Hondas have the most awful seats that create unnecessary pain to my leg and back. Why has Honda increased their sale price, but decreased it's quality? The seats need to be 110% because that's where the driver sits, plain & simple.
I have purchased 3 separate seat cushions and none of them have completely erased the pain caused by these seats. They would not diagnose the reasons for free, this has created medical issues due to their sh*tty seat designs. I have called Honda and the representative "Silver" asked if I had medical records to prove my claim. If they require medical records, I suggest we all go to a chiropractor and get x-rays/results/documents of our pain. I want to open a class action lawsuit against Honda for those poorly designed seat. Please contact me if you are interested, if I have enough individuals to start one I will contact my lawyer as soon as possible.
This is my worst Honda purchase ever. For the first two years I owned I was visiting a chiropractor every month, and sometimes more than once. I never connected my back pain to the car. I happen to switch to another car for several months, my back was feeling good, and then I happen to drive this car again. And boom, I was back at the chiro.
Short story, I stopped driving the car. And now my other car went out, and I have to drive it all over again.
Out of a whim I decided to search online about replacing the car seats. Lo and behold I find there is a huge community of people complaining about the car seats.
I recall how the sales person bragged about the lumbar support and all when I bought the car. Lumbar support my a$$. It's a lumbar twister. I am so mad I didn't think of complaining sooner.
At this time I cannot buy a new car, and am hoping I can have just the car seat changed.
The Honda Accord 2011 model has impairing seats, in it has inflicted constant pain in my back bone. The seats are uncomfortable. This will get your spinal cord hurting!!
This is the most uncomfortable seat I've ever sat in. The end of the seat points upwards, so no matter how you adjust it, it still pushes into the back of your knee and upper thigh, making your leg ache on longer journeys. And the back support is crap because it feels like a wooden rolling pin pushing into your lower back. It is neither comfortable or helpful. The seat should be scrapped entirely and everyone that has a Honda should be compensated. We've paid almost $30,000 for that vehicle. I think you can give us a damn replacement seat!!!!
drivers seat has become more and more uncomfortable,I am constantly adjusting it to no avail.I thought it was just me,but my wife has problems as well.I am on the verge of selling,but would really like to stay with Honda.
The seats in my Accord are terrible. They cause me a lot of pain in my back and legs. Cannot take car on long trip. Honda should really be ashamed of the seats. I have owned numerous Honda cars of all types, I may never own another Honda after this issue. Really my car is useless to me.
I'm another victim of Honda's horrible front seats. The lumbar feels like a stick in my back. I can't even use it. The seat bottom digs into my leg and causes it to go numb. I've spent over 200$ at an upholstery shop trying to rebuild the cushions but it hasn't helped much .
I am so mad at Honda and so mad at myself for buying what I thought was going to be a great car. I wish I had my Acura back, it had great seats
I have a 2011 accord and the seats are extraordinarily uncomfortable (causing neck and back pain) Tried to trade it in today but all they wanted to give me was 13,000 and my miles on the car is just 27,000 haven't got it paid off yet.I think the right thing to do is for Honda to replace driver seat and pay us back for chiropractor's and medical fee's
Having managed to survive searing firefights in Iraq, merciless dysentery, a grenade blast that tore part of my knee cap off....you get the idea....the WORST pain I have ever experienced is the persistent lower back pain I received from driving this car ONE SINGLE TIME for about an hour. The "lumbar support" in this seat seems to have driven my entire body into a vortex of hell so excruciating my command of the English language is insufficient to describe. How is this even possible? I want to insure those reading this post that my description is accurate. I am astounded that the human body can react this way merely from sitting in an awkward position. For those of us who bought this car, do not be ashamed of yourself if you, like myself, have knelt bedside and prayed that a comet bursts forth from the sky and eradicates this menace in a flash of white hot violent justice.
WHOM EVER DESIGNED THIS CAR SEAT......MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SOUL.
The drivers seat causes unbearable pain. Pushes neck forward, causes terrible back pain, causes numbness in legs. I cannot get comfortable no matter what I do. I would sell that car in a second if I could afford to take the financial loss. I feel honda should replace seats or make some kind of financial compensation. I will never buy another honda and will tell everyone not to buy honda. Everyday 35 min. commute is painful and longer trips are not even an option. I am angry that honda would sell unsuspecting consumers a product that will severely affect their health and comfort.
The front seats in our 2011 Honda Accord are terrible. I called 1-800-999-1009 and the cheery girl said they haven't received other negative comments but would pass the word on to her superiors. HA! Neither my wife nor I want to drive this car because of the poor seating. It looks like we, along with hundreds of others, will take a beating in trading for something else that we can drive.
Certainly, with the number of people griping about it on the web, Honda has some responsibility in making corrections. Even if there was a $1,000 aftermarket seat, I'd take it because we can't take this discomfort.
The lumbar support in the driver's seat is beyond uncomfortable. Took car into the dealership and was offered no help. Was told this was standard and only the EX models have the lumbar adjustment.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I bought 2011 Honda Accord in 2012. I started experiencing an unbearable back pain in my lower body. I could not walk, lift any substance, had leg pain and mumming in legs and lower back muscles etc., and could not even sleep well because of this unbearable back pain throughout the day and night.
I changed my bed, office chair and couch and love seats at home, suspecting one of these must have created the problem. I never realized the Honda car seat is the reason until my wife started driving the car late recent. She was using a Mazda 6 (V6) and had no complaints at all, whatsoever. She used the Honda for a week and then got the back pain, and ended up in the Hospital for a back pain treatment. I still have this Stupid Honda Accord 2011 EXL as I am unable to afford another vehicle right now. I started using a cushion at the back when seated in the stupid car seat. Not much of a relief. I started reading online about this problem and realized so many others are affected the same way me and my wife.
Not sure what to do from now and it seems I am suffering from this for last 8 years.
- Chandana B., Burlington, ON, Canada